Moloney

April 14, 2001

Dorothea J. Moloney, a loving wife, mother and person. The commandment "Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother", was revered by her son, Earle. Yes, there was a special relationship between mother and son. "She always had a smile and a kind word for everyone" said her son Earle Moloney. "A very compassionate and loving person to others", describes Dorothea J. Moloney who on April 11th passed away in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after complications from pneumonia. She was 88 years old. Dorothea was preceded in death by her husband Earle F. Moloney Sr., who helped build the foundation of many Moloney-owned corporations, going back to 1931 with Bally Manufacturing Corporation (founded by his brother Raymond T. Moloney), Comar Electric Company (1941), and Molon Motor & Coil Corporation (1954). Together these corporations, founded by the Moloney Family, were responsible for employing tens of thousands of people in the Chicagoland area. They are considered pioneers in products ranging from pinball machines, slot machines and aerospace components to fractional horsepower motors and today are considered corporate landmarks in many industries. Dorothea and her husband came to Chicago from Cleveland and together owned Lake City Amusement Company. She was one of the original members of the Queen of All Saints Altar and Rosary Society. Dorothea was a homemaker first, her family always came first, but she was a taskmaster at heart. After the death of her husband in 1972, she took on the position of chairman of the company he had founded, Molon Motor & Coil Corporation and later turned over the leadership and responsibility of Molon to her son, Earle F. Moloney, a self-made business man who in 1967 grandfathered the stretch limousine industry with over 14,000 limousines which bear the Moloney name and also manufactured armored security vehicles which served 7 U.S. Presidents. Yes, Dorothea Moloney's life was filled with many accomplishments. While she may have not been involved in setting in motion the building blocks for the Moloneyowned companies over the last 70 years, she was the support person and cheerleader for her family. The poem "Trees" was her favorite. "I thought that I would never see a poem as lovely as a tree". If the author knew Dorothea Moloney there certainly would be a poem written about her. "A loving wife, a loving mother, a loving person, who always had a smile and a kind word for everyone". She will truly be missed, but never forgotten. Dorothea is survived by two sons, Earle Moloney and Bill Moloney; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren, Harry and Sherry Passow of St. Louis, Missouri and Patricia Westropp of Cleveland, Ohio. Funeral Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. from SmithCorcoran Funeral Home, 6150 N. Cicero Ave., to Queen of All Saints Basilica for Mass at 11 a.m. Entombment All Saints Mausoleum. Visitation Monday 3 to 9 p.m. 773-736-3833